St Charbel Makhlouf was born in the Middle East in Lebanon in the year 1828. He came from a humble family, with his father being a mule driver. During his lifetime, he had a reputation for his profound holiness and for his ability to bring Christians and Muslims together. Many Lebanese Catholics have a great devotion to St Charbel, for his ability to perform miracles for those who pray for his intercession. He was beatified in 1965 and canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI. As a young man, he left his family to enter the monastery of Our Lady as a monk in the Lebanese Maronite order. He later became a priest. He spent the last 23 years of his life until his death living a life of solitude as a hermit. He is the patron saint of the country of Lebanon.
Our psalm today declares God to be “praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.” We can praise and honor God in different ways. St Charbel praised God through his life of holiness and simplicity as a monk and hermit. May we honor God in our way of life and in following his will in our lives each day.
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